Shy
by Crazy Girl Person
Summary: He had gotten used to being seen as a respected figure of the medical field, taking command of board meetings and operating rooms with professional ease. But, even if it was just for her, he would always be a little shy.


A/N: Oh Geez . . . we must reach the DxA fluff quota! Which is . . . I dunno . . . but, uh . . . finals week! Go pathetic attempt at a beginning note! Go! Urk, I need to study now.

Shy

Angie wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders as she breathed in the aroma of her hot chocolate. She sighed contently, curling up on the couch as she slowly brought it to her lips. A deep blue overcast had spread over the skies of Angeles Bay and washed the city in a cold rain. The water swollen clouds poured so thickly over the skyline that she could almost feel their chilly, but gentle, embrace descend upon her.

A small shiver escaped her as sipped her chocolate. She pulled the blanket around her even tighter, a nostalgic giggle escaping her as she tried to remember the last time she had shivered like that, and it was not even snowing. The television was off, leaving her mind to drift as she stared into the swirling shades of brown atop her hot cocoa. The sky hissed soothingly, tapping at her window in the form of raindrops as her eyes pulled themselves closed.

Thoughts slithered freely through her mind in the midst of her sleep like trance. The chocolate seemed to nurture her soul, bringing forth warm memories as it nipped at her heart. The smile on her face only widened as they merged together, immediately focusing on the one thing seemingly always on her mind.

Derek.

Dr. Derek Stiles, to be precise; the surgeon to whom she was an assistant for the last three years, and the man she was almost constantly around.

She giggled again as her heart skipped. It was true that she had spent more time with him in those three years than she had with anyone else in life – or at least that was how it seemed. And while they had their occasional arguments, they had spent nearly every waking moment together, and nothing made her happier.

Still, there were times when she preferred being by herself, especially on days like this, but for the moment she could not help but imagine the back of the sofa she snuggled against was his chest, and the blanket that wrapped around her was his arms, holding her protectively as they usually did.

And as she allowed herself to fall deeper into her daydreams, she found herself back on that fateful day nearly two years prior.

When Derek had first kissed her.

She rested her head against the cushions of the couch, her mind taking her back to where she felt the setting sun's golden caress fall upon her once again.

The wind had been gentle that day, softly weaving through her hair and bringing a touch coolness from the sea. The air seemed both thin, as she just could not seem to get enough of it, yet thick from the tension that hung between them.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she was reminded of the unpleasant circumstances that had driven them both to Caduceus' secluded roof top. She pushed those foul thoughts from her mind, instead focusing on how he had tenderly taken her hands into his own, how he gently pulled her closer to him, and the warm look his eyes poured upon her. Their breathing was shallow, pouring through nervously parted lips as their eyes were locked. They remained that way for so long, Derek massaging circles into the back of her hands with his thumbs as their hearts pounded loudly.

Back in her apartment, Angie let out a third chuckle, recalling how the light crimson of Derek's blush had spread over his flushed cheeks. She knew that she had been blushing too, but Derek had been so shy. Even amid the loving gaze he had given her, he had been nervously holding back, giving her hands the occasional squeeze. She could not help but sigh at how adorable it was, even though she knew she did not have much room to talk.

She was unsure of how much time they had spent staring at one another, her mind racing as fast as her heart, wondering . . . _"Is he? Is he really going to?"_

That thought had cycled in her brain more times than she would dare to figure, but she had not felt herself losing doubt that he would for a moment.

Yet, when he finally took a small gulp and began to close in, an explosion of excitement and disbelief left her paralyzed. It may have seemed funny, for she had been twenty two years old at the time, for her to get this breathless over a kiss. However, when it was the man she had cared for and admired more than anyone else, the man she often dreamed about being with but could not bring herself to do so, when she saw her long waited wish coming true right before her, it was impossible to not grow stiff and dazed.

Fortunately, the paralysis had been temporary, because Derek was being shy. He had paused when little more than an inch kept their faces apart, his chest silently heaving. The comfort of his warm breath snapped her out of it and her eyes focused on his own. There was a hint of uncertainty swirling in his soft, chocolate colored irises, but it was only a subtle haze to the warmth inside of them. She could practically feel his gaze caressing her face and she tilted her head up to let it pour over her. With that gentle nudge from the nurse, Derek closed his eyes and the distance between them.

He nervously laid his lips atop hers, tenderly suckling at them as he pulled her body in closer. Angie's eyes closed as well, her mind deafened by a thousand thoughts as she finally tasted the breath of her surgeon on her tongue. Derek released her hands as his arms encircled her waist. His trembling fingers pressed gently at her back as he pulled her into a hug. She welcomed his embrace fully, draping her arms over his shoulders and feeling his heart rapidly pound against her own. Angie could feel Derek's shaking from earlier die down, only then noticing the slight tremble in her own body. She pulled herself closer to him, sweetly answering the shy lapping of his tongue as he deepened the kiss.

In that moment, as their timid uncertainty flourished into passion, the shadows from that day quickly recoiled from the pair. The only thing on her mind was the man before her and how his hold seemed to envelop her protectively. As their tongues danced, his tender breath trickled down her throat and flushed the ill feelings away. She drank it up and offered a comforting whisper of her own, hoping that she could make him feel as safe as he made her.

Hoping was not necessary, for as she felt him pouring himself into her, she knew that she was.

--

Angie came back to the present as she took another small sip from her chocolate. A longing sigh escaped her as she withdrew the mug, unable to stop herself from comparing the taste to the many kisses she had since shared with the man she loved.

Their first kiss was not quite _perfect_ but she would not have had it any other way. Every nervous twinge, every adorable blush, and every shy moment he gave when he had embraced her drove her mad. Each one reminded her of the sweet surgeon she had fallen in love with. The thought of him was making her second guess reserving this rainy day for some alone time.

A longing sigh poured from her chest. _'I wonder if he's busy. . .'_

Her thoughts were jerked from her by an abrupt knock at her door. She set the mug down on the coffee table and clutched the blanket to her as she moved to answer it. Murmuring a perturbed grumble at the interruption, she was ready to deliver an evil eye to what she was sure to be another obnoxious solicitor, using the weather as a means to pull some sympathy from her. Her dark thoughts were cut short the moment she opened the door, her scowl instantly swept from her face as her heart leapt.

"Hey there," Derek said, grinning as he ran one hand through his rain soaked bangs, the other clutching a thin square box.

"Derek! You're soaked!" she yelled, trying to hide her grin behind a reprimanding glare, and failing miserably. "You must be freezing!"

"Yeah . . . a little . . ." he chuckled, his body raked by a shiver as if on queue.

"I'll get you a towel to dry off. I'll be right back."

She made a quick sprint to the linen closet, rushing back to the door and all but attacking Derek's hair, ruffling it thoroughly amid giggles.

"Angie, you're usually the one complaining about how messy my hair is." Derek chuckled, hearing the nurse scoff slightly.

"It's okay, if I'm the one that gets to mess it up." She grinned. "And besides, it gives me an excuse to comb it."

"Hey, _I_ comb it!" He laughed, but relented to her assault. "But, could you take this and set it down on the counter? I don't want to drop it."

Her eyes moved to the box, thoroughly protected from the rain by a shopping bag though it could do nothing to stop the smell wafting from within. "Mmmm, what's that?" Angie asked, taking in the aroma. "Smells like pizza."

"Philly cheese steak pizza, to be exact."

Her eyes lit up as she took the box from him. "Ohhh, can I have some?"

"No, I just brought it over here so I could shove it under your nose, laugh evilly, then slam the door in your face and run."

She rolled her eyes as she tossed the towel in his face, both of them laughing as she brought the box into the kitchen. Derek patted his face and neck down as he slipped out of his shoes, leaving them to dry as he entered and shut the door behind him. Angie slipped the pizza from the soaked bag, nearly salivating as its delicious smell hit her full force. "But really, what's the occasion?"

"No occasion. I was just really hungry and I saw Pizza La was having a special going on. I know Philly deep dish is your favorite, so I placed an order for pick up with the store by your house and brought it over."

"Aw, you're sweet." She said as she pulled two plates from her cabinets. "So, what do I owe you for the pizza?"

Two arms wrapped around her waist, forcing her to set her dishes down as he pulled her into a tight hug. She smiled, even as her hair became damp from Derek's wet clothes, and turned to face him. Not a moment too soon either, as he descended upon her with a kiss.

Derek was no longer shy with his kisses, but the loving embrace as he nibbled at her lips was there all the same, making him feel warm despite the chilling rain he had just came in from. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, rubbing her back soothingly as her arms encircled his neck. Slowly he pulled back, smiling as they stared nose to nose into one another's eyes.

"That was it." He said. "I also just wanted to have an excuse to have dinner with you."

"You don't need an excuse . . ." she murmured, pulling down on his neck for a second kiss. Derek did not need any persuasion and easily gave into her request. He pressed her body against his, further dampening her clothes as she ran a hand through his hair. Her heart always raced when he would lovingly embrace her even in the midst of a passionate kiss. His hands were always so gentle while holding her, even if his lips made it evident how badly he wanted her as a woman.

They slowly pulled back, their tongues still lightly lapping at each other's breath, allowing Derek to notice the faint sweet flavor on his mouth. "Hm, are you wearing your mint lip gloss?"

"Yes, it's your favorite, right?" she smiled.

"Absolutely." he chuckled, placing his hands on her hips and taking a small step back. "But, if you ever felt like getting some new flavors, you're more than welcome to ask for my opinion."

She shook her head, grinning as she pushed him back slightly. "You, sir, are corny."

"C'mon, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

Angie simply laughed, not knowing what else to tell him, and he shortly joined it. Yes, Derek could be corny at times, sometimes overshoot being romantic. While it was the kind of over fluffed love that would make her groan on occasion, secretly, she did not think she would ever get sick of it.

Regretfully, Derek's stomach _had_ gotten enough and grumbled irately, demanding to be fed. They both blinked in response to the noise, Derek rubbing the back of his ear and diverting his gaze to a corner of the room as a blush crept over his face. Angie smiled at the sight of his sheepish grin, unable to resist thinking of how cute he looked at the moment. It was that shyness again, that little bit of humility the word renowned super surgeon seemed to reserve only for her. Something that made her want to kiss him on his rose tinted cheek before slipping out of his hold.

"Let's eat."

--

Two plates lay atop of Angie's coffee table, littered with crumbs and ignored by the pair that had set them there. The hot chocolate had been long since finished off and the little that remained was carving what was sure to be a pain of a coffee mug stain later on, but Angie found herself not caring one bit. She lightly wriggled her toes as her sock covered heels rested against the table's edge, her wish from earlier granted as she leaned her back against a warm chest. Derek's arms had taken place of her blanket, lightly draping themselves around her as they sat before the television.

It had taken several clicks of the remote for them to find anything even somewhat watchable. An agonizing montage of infomercials and reality shows had failed to produce anything entertaining, but they did manage to dig something at least tolerable from it. Unfortunately for Final Destination 3, it could only serve as back ground noise to the surgeon and nurse, who merely glanced at it with minimal interest. There was not even a flinch from the pair as the coaster ran over the camcorder, ripping apart the bottom of the cars and drawing a horrific scream from the riders.

"This scene always makes me want to ride a roller coaster."

Angie blinked slightly at the doctor's statement, craning her neck to look at him. "Watching a roller coaster crashing makes you want to ride one?"

"Yeah," Derek replied. "Devil's Flight looks like it would be a lot of fun, you know . . . aside from when it derails."

Angie shook her head, a cringe biting at her shoulders, to which Derek quickly responded with a tender hug. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just never really liked roller coasters, especially not after watching this movie."

"Oh, c'mon Ang." He smirked. "Roller coasters don't crash like that."

"I never said they did. I just don't like them . . ."

"Why not? Did you have a bad experience on one?"

"I've actually never ridden one."

"Well, how can you say you don't like them if you've never been on one?"

She shrugged. "It just doesn't look like something I'd enjoy."

Derek chuckled and pulled her closer, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I'm going to get you on a roller coaster one of these days."

She whipped around to him, causing him to laugh at the way her angled brows pushed down on her wide eyes, the background of teenagers screaming in terror only making him laugh harder. "I dare you to try."

"Okay, okay . . . I won't . ." he chuckled, brushing her hair back to kiss her on the temple. " . . sober anyway . . ."

"I heard that."

Still laughing, he gently pushed her chin with his fingers and tilted her head for another kiss. Her irate features instantly melted from her face, relaxing as she gave Derek another taste of her lip gloss. He gave a content sigh, tightening his hold on her as his hand brushed through her blonde locks. Derek enjoyed kissing Angie just as much as she did, if not more so. Every time their mouths met he felt himself falling in love with her all over again. Even if it was just a smile, a hug, a peck on the cheek, or her silky hair running through his fingers as they were now, he could never seem to get enough of her.

And of course, there was also the perk of tasting his favorite mint flavor.

He closed his eyes, fully taking in the sweetness that hung on her lips when the abrupt end of desperate cries startled him. He pulled back, blinking at the remote Angie casually pointed towards the now powerless television. "It was distracting." she explained. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all." He grinned and dove back into the kiss with no hesitation. Derek returned to the tender caress, sipping at her gently before a prolonged lap at her tongue caused his eyes to suddenly widen, then slim dangerously. Angie blinked out of her blissful daze as she felt him smirk; her only warning before she found herself being pushed onto the couch. The kiss muffled her surprised yell as she hooked her arms around Derek's neck to steady herself, breaking off to see his sly expression as he moved atop her.

Her look of awe quickly faded as she chuckled and grinned. Angie offered her own smirk as she found herself unable to suppress the friskiness spreading through her. "Someone's impatient."

"Oh, I wouldn't say impatient." Derek said. "But . . . I'd rather not wait, if that's all right with you."

"Well then . . ."

Narrowing her eyes to emerald slits, she teasingly fumbled with the top button of her blouse. Her fingers were stilled as Derek's hand descended upon them, holding them as he leaned in and began picking at the buttons himself. A fluttered laugh escaped her as he pressed his body atop hers, her amused breath quickly giving way to a purr as his tongue came down upon her collarbone.

There were times in which Derek was not shy at all, and while Angie loved his bashful moments, she found herself liking his bold ones just as much.

--

The next two hours passed with barely a word spoken between them, but the living room had been far from quiet. However, the aftermath of their playful moment left them a bit exhausted and content to the resulting silence. Angie lay curled on the couch, her head in Derek's lap as he lazily played with her bangs, the two of them staring off into the room. The nurse's green eyes blinked drowsily as the gentle stroking on her forehead lulled her to sleep. She yawned, snuggling up on the surgeon's lap, more than ready to pass out right then and there. She closed her eyes and giggled as she felt the blanket from before being draped back over her body.

"You're making it difficult for me to want to get up." Derek said, smiling down at her as he rubbed her shoulder.

Angie gave a small hum of content, her smile growing in her sleepy state as she curled up even tighter. "Do you have to?"

"No, but I figure you'll want to have your dishes put away."

"Oh, forget about 'em."

"Hehe, okay."

With that, Derek went back to gently running his fingers through her hair, leaning his head on the backrest as he felt his own eyes grow heavy. Sensing him starting to fall asleep as well, Angie gave a second yawn, the engraved smile on her face slowly trickling away as her consciousness faded. As she began making a plummet into the dream realm the memories from earlier began pouring over her mind. Amid them was again of that fateful day, when they shared that loving embrace under a pinkish gold twilight and their hearts opened up to one another's.

Her eyes fluttered open, her smile dipping to just a tiny upward curve as she woke up. She stared at the off white of her living room walls and gently stroked the thigh she rested her head upon. "Hey, Derek? Are you still awake?"

His fingers shifted sleepily, spilling the bangs they held back over her eyes. "Mmm, yeah." he yawned, lifting his head from the couch. "What's up?"

"Oh, it's just . . . . just before you knocked on my door, I was thinking about our first kiss."

"Really?" he moved in to scoop up the bangs he had let slip from his fingers.

"Yes." she took a moment to snuggle into the sweet embrace on her forehead before her smile faded completely. "I know it was a . . . difficult day for you . . ."

The soft murmur of the overhead heater grew as silence briefly descended upon the pair. Derek tenderly stroked her scalp with his thumb. "It was a difficult day for everyone."

"I know. Sometimes I wish I could just forget about it. But . . . . when you kissed me . . . I was so happy."

"Me too." Derek breathed with a somber sigh. "That whole experience . . . it was one of the darkest times of my life. I felt so unsure of everything and it just seemed to get worse by the day. But, the moment you came to the roof to see me . . ." The fingers that stroked her hair stopped. ". . . the moment we kissed, I knew everything was going to be okay. I didn't know how, I just knew it would be."

"And you were right." she smiled, reaching out for the hand on her head as her eyes eased themselves closed. Lacing his fingers with her own, she pressed them into her cheek and sighed.

"I love you."

Angie's eyes opened in a swift motion, contrasting her slow rise to her knees as the blanket crumpling off her form and bundling on her ankles. Staring into his eyes, she brought her hand to his cheek and gingerly traced his jaw line. "I love you too . . . but you need to shave." She laughed drowsily at his perplexed expression and stroked his face with the back of her fingers. "You've got some stubble . . ."

"Do I?" Derek brought a hand to his chin and chuckled. "Hm, so I do . . ."

Angie grasped his hand and pulled it from his face, kissing the place on his chin he had just been inspecting. With that, she linked her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, and he in turn wrapped his arm around her and placed his chin atop her head, sighing quietly. "It's getting late . . . . I should probably go."

"No." Angie's muffled voice said. "You can stay."

He smiled at that, toying with the idea of just falling asleep right there. It was comfortable and Angie was so warm . . . but, he knew doing so would probably do his back no favors. He pressed his cheek to the nurse's crown, taking in the smell of her shampoo before scooping her up in his arms. Angie let out an exhausted giggle as she felt him carry her to her room and lay her upon her bed, tucking her in shortly there after. He leaned in to gather up the blanket from the couch and an extra pillow for himself before planting a kiss on her forehead. "Good night."

He took a moment to stroke her face before he turned to head back to the living room when a hand quickly grasped around his wrist, startling him. He turned back to see Angie's emerald eyes gazing at him, a slight pout in her sleepy expression. "You can sleep here, if you want."

Derek blinked at her, a pinkish tint staining his cheeks even as he smiled. His teeth clenched in a grin as he ran a hand through his messy hair. There he was, being shy again . . . Angie tried to hide a soft chuckle behind her hand, but that became impossible once it escalated into a full scale laugh.

"Derek, what's with you?" She gasped. "Did you forget that we were just on the couch-"

"I know!" Derek laughed, the crimson on his cheeks bleeding thicker. "But it's just . . . I . . . yeah . . ."

He was just so cute when he did that, she would have flown from the bed to jump in his arms had her body not been weighed down by sleep. Instead, she waited for him to crawl into bed beside her, where she instantly attacked him with a snuggle.

He laughed as she clung to the front of his shirt and planted a quick kiss on his lips. She could feel the warmth in his face from the blush had still not died down, which only fueled the happiness she felt. The stubble she had commented made a painless scratch on her face as he pulled her into his chest. He brushed her hair out of the way and began suckling at her neck, drawing from her a tickle induced giggle. She cringed playfully and rolled onto her back, stroking his face with the back of his fingers as he draped an arm over her stomach, his kisses going on uninterrupted until he slowly withdrew, his breath tickling her neck as he whispered, "Good night, Ang."

"Good night," she sighed, the smile never leaving her face as she drifted off to sleep in the arms of the shy man she loved – the shy man that chose the oddest times to switch between a sensual lover and a bashful sweetheart. Oh well -

He may not have been perfect, but he was Derek. That was all she ever needed him to be.

--

A/N: Awwwww, mandatory squee everyone!

(SQUEEEEE)

This is a finals relief fic for TCGeek who seriously needs it. Finals equal study. Study equals blarg. Blarg equals deaded. Booooo . . . .

Regretfully I'm not out of the finals trenches myself. My English exam is going to have its dirty little way with me, I can tell. I'm soooo freakin' close to getting an A in that class too, right now I'm at 89 percent. So annoying . . .

Bleh, anyway yeah.

So some of you are probably wondering what was it that led to Derek and Angie's first kiss. Remember when I posted _Were It Not For Me_ and I said you'd get to find out what was bothering Jessie in another fic? Well, you get to find this out in that exact same story.

So where is this story? I'm workin' on it . . . as in I'm working on the draft of chapter three right now. The first chapter is finished for the most part - needs some polishing up though – and I'm revising chapter two.

My plan is this - have at least three or four chapters ready to go before I post even the first one. That way I can always be at least a chapter ahead and I can make regular updates so everyone will stop bitching about what a slow writer I am.

But you'll find out more once the story is posted, which should be this summer when school can stop trying to have sexy times with me (which weren't very sexy times at all, btw).


End file.
